Save Me
by PeanutButter123
Summary: Sid, the Kid is a cop in Hillwood. Well he used to be a cop anyway. Suffering from OCD and other emotional issues, a vacation turns into being thrust into a crime involving a missing girl, her hot sister, and a case shrouded in mystery. Can he solve the crime and also deal with his past issues? (SPIN-OFF OF SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY)
1. Rule Number 1: Don't Hook Up

**Author's Note: First things first, this is a spin-off of my other Hey Arnold story titled Sleeping With the Enemy. It is not necessary to read it. All that is needed to know is that 1. Sid was a police officer in Hillwood. 2. Due to circumstances dealing with his partner, Harold, breaking the law Sid has suffered some trauma from that situation. 3. He left Hillwood to have a break but will return at a later date.**

 **Moving on, as I said before it's an independent story from Sleeping With the Enemy, although I am using the same characterization of Sid from that story in this one. This story will touch on mental health issues and depression but it will not be the focus. Sid will also be solving crimes and mysteries, having flings, and being a generally bad ass dude.**

 **Think of this as The Wolf on Wall Street meets Sherlock Holmes.**

 **That is all :) so feel free to read on!**

 **Rule Number One: Don't Hook Up with Girls Named Marie**

You, Sidney, wake up from a night in a new city and are smacked with the realization that you have no fucking clue who is the woman you just woke up next to. You are met with the scent of liquor, debauchery, and strawberries as you finally get the crust out of your eyes.

Your OCD was kicking in. There were bottles and wine glasses and pizza and random articles of clothing that didn't belong to you scattered all over the floor.

As you attempt to creep out of the bed and satisfy your compulsion to clean the filth, you hear the sleeping woman start to stir.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You panic and sprint to the bathroom. You immediately start breathing heavy. This isn't your room. This isn't your bathroom. And the women in the bed wasn't even your woman.

Jesus, it was starting again. The women. The sleepless night. The panic attacks. God, he couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding. He was going to die. He was going to die if he didn't get in the shower right now. You feel your throat start to constrain. You feel like germs are crawling all over you. Sudden and imminent death wat descending upon you.

You knock over the various female products on the counter as you jumped into the shower and turn the water on blast. You get in the shower, boxers and all. The feeling of the hot water satisfies your compulsion for a moment. Only for a moment.

There's knocks at the door. You hear a female voice calling you name. You want to answer for the sake of figuring out what was going but your stomach starts to bubble, your mouth starts to water, and you feel that familiar feeling of sickness.

You vomit in the shower as the girl enters. She was doe-eyed and frankly looked a little scared. You wipe your mouth the shower curtain and stumble out of the shower.

"Dude, are you okay?" When you look up you realize why you went home with her in the first place. She was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, truly model material. She was beautiful and reminded you of Helga. Although you could tell from her rolling her eyes, she was NOT Helga.

"I'm fine. Um, thanks. Where's my clothes?" You needed to leave immediately. You disgusting. You had taken advantage of this girl to mend your broken heart. You were starting to turn back into the Sid you were in high school. Absolutely selfish and unashamed of doing so.

You're still soaking wet when you slide pasted the girl, who was wrapped in a white sheet. From what you could notice as your gathered your clothing around the condo, the girl had expensive taste. She liked fine china, crystal wine glass, paton leather chairs, alligator wallpaper, and of course Louboutin red bottom heels. The better to walk around and scratch her marble floors with, you assume.

You put your pants on over your wet boxers and cringe at the coldness. How again did you get here? You left Hillwood after shooting your partner in a shootout, you got rejected by Helga Pataki, you were put on leave on the force until you got your mind straight, and now you're here in a stranger's house who you may have done questionable things with.

"Ummm aren't you going to dry off?" You realize she's wearing nothing but a red thong. Her breasts were perfectly round and large. Definitely fake, you noted. She was aware of how she looked from the way she stood strong. She was used to getting her way, obviously spoiled from her apartment and the fact that she could afford her perfect body. She was probably 18 but looked 23.

You search for your shirt and wondered what the hell you got yourself into. You find your shirt and slip it on. Next was your shoes and wallet.

"I enjoyed last night. You were amazing." She bats her eyelashes and runs her soft fingers down the back of your neck. Considering you were so plastered you couldn't even remember what her moans sounded like it probably wasn't as memorable as she wanted it to be.

"Same." Your eyes scan the area for your wallet and it's nowhere to be seen. "Have you seen my wallet?"

She squeezes the wound on your arm. It was still a little painful. You wince and realize she definitely did that on purpose. This topless, beautiful woman definitely was trying to bribe you. You suddenly remember how much you hate drunk you for putting yourself in this situation.

"I don't know who you are but I'll have you know I'm a cop. I deal with bullshitters and crooks for a living. And you ma'am are as bullshit as they come. Pretty faces only tell lies." You grab her wrist, twist it then pinned her onto the ground.

Sure you had brute strength on your side but having her bare breasts pressed up against your chest was distracting and she knew it. She seductively wraps her smooth legs around your waist. You throb at the sudden closeness. This definitely was not a good idea for Sid, the Kid.

"Give me my wallet and phone so I can leave."

She smirks and the puckers her pink lips, "What's my name before I give you your precious wallet."

An ultimatum. Sid hated ultimatums. You sigh and hope to god that her face gives you a miraculous clue as to who she is. The name thought seemed like a dead mission. She certainly had told you but the whiskey kicked in far too early.

She bucks under you and the friction feels nice. Complete and utter brain fart.

"That's what I thought."

You release her and delivers a kick to the back of your shin jutting you forward. She delivers a stern kick to your stomach as you fall to the ground. She plants her whole body on your back by squatting with her cold feet right on your spine. She was a 130 pounds. Though you could bench press more his gunshot wounds still ached and had plenty of past injuries including back ones that had him a little rusty.

Not only was your arm burning and the pressure to your spine irritating you didn't believe in hitting women. Even if it happened to be a woman who you slept with but still didn't know.

"You're a cop, which is evident from your multiple stab and gunshot wounds. Besides your body looking like you're Batman by night, I peeped your badge. You're from Hillwood and you're going to take me there or I will scream rape Sidney."

"Can't say good morning first? Get off of my back before you paralyze me you crazy lady!"

She leans down to your ear and says softly, "You promise you'll help me if I let you go?"

"Yes. Just get off of me." You tell the truth. Obviously if mystery woman was stupid enough to sleep with him and then attack him she needed you.

You frown at the realization that your break was cut short and you now had to drive a crazy, topless woman across the state line to the place you don't want to be right now.

~/~

You watch her get ready, which included covering up her gorgeous body. She put her blonde hair up in a loose top knot bun and put on jeans, a white tank top, and a red flannel shirt over it. For a girl with such an expensive place, she sure dressed plainly. You wondered what she looked like last night if this is what wore daily. She was still beautiful all the same, no matter how psycho and desperate she was.

The car ride was quiet, 4 hours until arrival and Hillwood and you dreaded coming had only been gone for two weeks and it felt like you never left.

"What happens after you get to Hillwood?"

"You help me."

"Help you with what? I don't even know your name. Surely you have enough money to get to Hillwood on your own. Your apartment was easily worth $500,000."

"That wasn't my apartment. I just use it as a hookup spot, which is how we met last night Sid. It's my sister's place."

Sister. Mystery girl had a sister who let her use her apartment as a jump off spot. That was odd to say the least and at most it was insane. You wondered what she was hiding?

"Considering I don't remember much from last night. You should fill me."

"We met at a bar. We had a few drinks. I took you back to the apartment, we had more drinks, and then we hooked up. I didn't lure you there, you came on your own."

"And at what point did you go through my things? Wait a minute, how old are you?"

"Don't worry I'm 21. Turned 21 a few weeks ago. I don't know I always go through the guy's stuff when they're sleeping. I guess it's my way of checking if they're a serial killer or something. When I saw you were a cop and from Hillwood I knew I had to get you to help me somehow."

21\. That meant she was still in college for Christ's sake! You must have been extremely drunk to not realize he was screwing a college student.

"You realize that's illegal though I admire the roundhouse kick. That was surprising. What is it that you want from Hillwood? Why couldn't you have gone yourself?"

"Thanks. I took Hap Ki Do for 8 years.I'm a broke college student. I don't have the money, I don't have a car, and I didn't know where to go or who to go to. When I go out I wear my sisters clothes when I go clubbing. I've been crashing in her apartment. What do you think?"

"Point taken. So this sister of yours, where is she?"

"That's what I need help with. She's been missing for two months. She went to do business with Bob's Beepers in Hillwood. I need help finding her. You're the only cop I know from there."

"Or the only cop you've bribed to take you there."

"I said I was sorry okay." Tears fell down her cheeks. She was really upset. Jesus, she really was a little kid if she cried at the drop of a dime.

"Stop crying okay. We'll find your sister."

You grimace. Too bad you technically weren't a cop anymore.

~/~

After four hours of driving you finally pass the Welcome to Hillwood sign.

"We're here. Where do you want me to take you?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's 10PM. We can't investigate now. You need to sleep somewhere and shower."

"Can't I stay with you?"

"WHAT?! No you cannot. We fucked. That is not an invitation to live together. I don't even know your name." You feel cruel for saying it but you feel even worse if she was to spend the night in your trashed apartment.

The tear came again, "But w-where am I,I g-going to stay?! If you don't help I'll tell the whole town about your di-"

You certainly didn't want your personal business out on the streets.

You sigh, "Okay, okay. You can stay with my friend okay. Just got to make sure it's okay."

This looked like a job for Helga Pataki. She owed him anyway.

She smirked and wiped her wet cheeks, "Thank you so much."

Something about her being able to cry at the drop of a dime made you uneasy. You remember to be suspicious of her for the time being. She did attack and threaten to get you arrested.

30 minutes later they arrived at Arnold's and Helga's apartment. You tell her to wait in the car until you came back.

You knock, swallowing hard. Helga opened the door and smiled. She gave you a big hug.

"Sid, you're back early. What are you doing here?"

"Helga, I um need a favor?"

She sucked her teeth. "Criminey, just come on with the bullshit Sid."

"I have a friend who needs to stay with you for awhile."

"A friend? What kind of friend? Why can't she stay with you?"

"It's complicated Helga."

"Yea reeeeeeal complicated. I'm sure you screwed her."

"That may be the case but you owe me a solid Helga. I saved your life. Help me out and let her stay here just for tonight."

"Fine but you come get her in the morning."

You go down to the car and she that the passenger side door is wide open. You run to the car and are confused. Where did she go? Did someone take her? What the fuck was her name?

You look into the car and on the passengers side you see a receipt on the dashboard. You pick it up and see writing on the back in smooth cursive.

 _My name is Marie. Come find me._

What had one hookup cost you? What had you gotten yourself into?

To be continued….

 **Author's Note: What do you guys think?**


	2. Rule Number 2: Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot

Author's Note: A reminder that this will be a M-rated fic. It will containing cursing, violence, and sexual situations. Warning was given.

Rule Number 2: Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot is Not the Best Combination.

He tried looking for Marie but she was far gone. Sid came back to his empty little apartment in East Hillwood. It was just like he had left it. Clean from top to bottom with everything in it's place. Dust had began to collect. He could see it from the moment he walked through the door.

The thoughts are accelerating inside his head. He wanted them to slow so he could breathe but they wouldn't. His breaths came in gasps and he felt like he was going to black out. His heart is hammering inside his chest like it belongs to a rabbit running for its skin. The room spins and he squatted on the floor, trying to make everything slow to something his brain and body can cope with. He felt so sick. He wanted to call an ambulance but the phone is too far away, it's too far away, it's too far away. He doesn't know who to call, what's his number, who to call, too far away, he's gone, he went, breathe, gone, what number, too far away... blackness... creeping blackness... He's on the floor in a ball- the foetal position. Where is he, what's my name, who to call, what's the number, the stairs are too steep, the room is spinning...blackness...he's gone…

Hours later he wakes up to the banging on the door. His head his pounding, his face still feels hot. He felt the need to scrub, to cleanse himself. He was shaking. He needed to clean up. All of his fears and irrational thoughts were returning. There were things crawling him now, trying to attack him, trying to invade his body and kill him.

Screw the door. His chest was heavy and it felt like an elephant was on his chest. Jesus, he needed to clean now. He picked his anxious and tense body up and headed to the kitchen. He grabbed bleach and a rag and scrubbed every surface until his hands started to crack from the bleach.

Once he was finished he collapsed in the middle of his bedroom floor. He felt so much better now, but the burning of his hands irritated him. He went to get some gauze to wrap his exposed, burning hand. There were small cuts all over his hand. He washed it first, which burned immensely then wrapped it fully the gauze.

He needed a drink. Thoughts were coming back. Harold. Helga. Marie. The gun shot. The blood. He was remembering things he didn't want to remember.

Whiskey now, he thought.

He could've sworn he still had a bottle in the kitchen but it wasn't there. He stashed one somewhere. He checked under his bed and found full bottle of Jack Daniels.

Thank God. He opened the lid and started to chug. He tilts his head backwards and takes a long swig of the brown, warm liquid which was now in a half empty container. He sighs as his chest gets warm and the walls of his apartment become a fun house. Sid cleared his throat and tries to get up. He staggers towards his bedroom. His breaths smells of alcohol. He found comfort into the softness of his bed and his drunkenness.

~/~

Monday 10:32 AM.

Sid's head was pounding. He woke up next to a bottle of whiskey and an empty bed. He hated it. He hated being like this. He needed to get control again, starting with getting his job back.

He walked into Hillwood Police Station looking a shadow of his old self. He was wearing last night's clothes. He had a noticeable stubble in his beard. All of his past colleagues looked at him like he was a monster. He headed into the Sergeant's office and his boss looked the same.

"Sidney," The Sergeant's eyes widen and he sighed, "Sit down son."

Sid was defiant, "No sir, I don't need to sit. Listen, I want to come back to the force. I feel so much better."

"You smell like alcohol Sidney."

"Ha, ha come on Serg. A man needs a drink every once and awhile."

"Okay, if it was just one drink let me get your BAC Sidney."

Fuck, his blood alcohol level wouldn't make the cut. He remained silent dumbfounded at his boss's request.

"That's what I thought." The Sergeant, poised as always, gave Sid a stern look. "I like you Sidney. You're one of the best men on the force. I know you're messed up because of this Harold thing but you have got to get passed it or you won't be able to get back to work."

"Y-you're firing me?"

"No, you're suspension will be lifted if you go get some help. What happened to your hand?"

"Ummmm it was a burn."

"Right." The Sergeant slid a piece of paper across the desk. "You call this number. She's a great therapist. Her name is Dr. Bliss. She can see you as soon as today. She can help you. I'll be checking in with her to see if you're going. Swallow your pride and go. You get good results with her and you'll be back to work soon."

"Yes, Sir." Sid got up to leave with his head down.

"And Sidney?"

"Yes Sir?"

"Do yourself a favor and shave."

Did he really look that bad?

~/~

He sucked at letting go of his pride. He sucked at asking people for help. It reminded him of when he was a little boy and used to get beat up. He'd be damned if he let anyone disrespect him the way people did when he was a kid.

He dragged his feet the entire time to Dr. Bliss' downtown office. She owned her own practice and boy was she a busy lady. If it wasn't for his connection with the Sergeant he wouldn't have gotten an appointment. Not that he wanted an appointment anyway.

The older lady stared back at with old wise eyes. Her hair had streaks of grey but he could tell she didn't have an old spirit. Even still, when she looked at him he felt like she was staring into his soul.

"Good evening, Sidney. I am Dr. Bliss. It's nice to meet you."

"Hey Doc."

"I have been a therapist for 20 years now. Everything that is in this session and future sessions if you want to come back is confidential. I specialize in feminist therapy, which means I seek to empower my clients no matter the gender but I consider myself simply a talk therapist in layman's you have any questions for me? I have a full disclosure policy."

"Yea, when is this spirit talk over? I want to get back to work."

"I typically do 8-12 sessions with my clients but I have some clients I've seen for years. It's really up to how well we work together Sidney. What is your goal for this session?"

"My name is SID and I just want to get back to work. My boss made me come here so I'm here."

"Any particular reason you don't want to be called Sidney? I apologize, my documents start that is your birthname."

"My dad called me that all the time. It's annoying, plus Sid is easier. Used to get teased for having a girl's name."

"I see." Dr. Bliss eyed Sid over her spectacles and reviewed his paperwork. He always hated tests. He hated the idea of people judging him from a piece of paper. Dr. Bliss was probably doing just the same. She went on, "From my quick look at your medical records I see you have some issues with anxiety and OCD. Has that been manageable for you as of late?"

"I've been managing just fine Doc." If he made it seem like everything was fine he could get written off to go to work. He knew for a fact he had an anxiety attack this morning but the Doc didn't have to know it.

Dr. Bliss stared back in disbelief, "Riiight what happened to your hand?"

He scratched the inside of his wrist trying to compress the compulsion to take the gauze off and scrub his hands until they bled again.

"Nothing. You know us guys always get into accidents. Was trying to fix something at the house and injured my hand."

"Hm, have you been engaging in substances, alcohol, drugs and yes, weed counts?"

"No, I've been clean as a whistle."

"Let's be honest with each other, Sid. This therapeutic relationship will not thrive if you lie to me. You can trust me but I'm not some magic mystical shaman that can give you some one fix all remedy for the troubles in your life. We need to work together on this." Dr. Bliss folded her hands and placed them in her lap. "Start by being honest. You have been engaging in the past rituals from your OCD. You have been heavily drinking because I can smell the whiskey on your breath and you have been at least having mid-level anxiety from the mannerisms you've been exhibiting such as fidgeting and scratching. If you want me to help you get your job back you need to do the work as well. Got it?"

"Sure, Doc. I won't lie anymore."

"Please tell me about your family life? You can talk about your mom, your dad, girlfriends, or anyone you consider family."

"My dad's name is Ray. Mom is Amy. They met when they were teenagers and had been together ever since. We lived in the lower side of town. Obviously we didn't have money but we did what we had too and made the best of it."

"How has poverty shaped you?"

"Let's get one thing straight, Sid never lived in poverty. My parents worked hard. I may not have had everything other kids had and I may have been teased for that but we weren't in poverty. Sure, some days I didn't eat but I'm still breathing so it wasn't all bad. Don't you sit here and judge me."

"I wasn't judging you. I was simply asking a question. You got very defensive just now. I want to know why and I want you to know I'm not your enemy, Sid."

"Yea, well I've had friends literally stab me in the back so excuse me for not trusting people. I've been beat on and step on for most of my younger years and I am tired of being the little guy getting picked on. It's why I even became a cop. Sure, I enjoy protecting people but something about the badge makes me feel tougher."

"We can talk about the friend if you want to go that route."

"You hear about that cop that was charged with murdering Rhonda Wellington? Yea, that was my partner, my dirty partner. I should've known. I should've been able to protect everyone. I shouldn't have trusted him."

"You cannot dwell on the past Sid. He may have betrayed you but that doesn't your friendship wasn't real and it doesn't make you any less adequate as a man."

"I never said I didn't feel like a man Doc. I am all man, 100 percent man, I mean look at my body. I AM a man."

"You mentioned being picked on, you mentioned your career choice, and you mentioned your family dynamic. All it seems to indicate you have issues asserting your masculinity proper. Your idea of who you are is deeply tied to how manly other people perceive you as and that idea is highly performative Sid. Who says men have to be strong all the time? It's okay to be weak and accept that everything is not okay.I think that's why your anxiety and OCD is returning. You are trying to be something you simply cannot be right now and the pressure is eating you away."

"If I wasn't a real man then how do you think I was about to shoot my own partner in the chest? How am I able to get so many woman then if I'm being 'performative'? I'm the same guy I was before. I am FINE. I am a man."

"I never said you weren't a man but your masculinity is highly fragile right now which is why the drinking and the women are being used as band-aids so to speak. You can only cover up the issue for so long. I must imagine shooting your best friend must be traumatic for you. How have you been sleeping?"

"I drink whiskey until I pass out most nights."

"You must know that's unhealthy. What is that you're running away from? Why can't you sleep? Why can't you handle being sober?"

"When I'm sober I either clean until my hands bleed or I get left to my thoughts. I hate it. I don't want to be like this Doc. I want to be working, I want to come home to beautiful woman every night, and I want to feel normal again. I feel like I'm losing it."

"We can work on that. I have some homework for you. You go home and you sit in those thoughts for five minutes and see where they lead. Write down how you feel, what you were thinking, and your results. I think you really need some introspection. Lay off the whiskey for one night. I also want you to get in touch with your manhood in a positive manner. Find a healthy hobby and outlet."

"I got it Doc."

"Are you in a relationship right now? You brought up woman twice."

"I, I have someone in mind. She's great, but I blew it. Now she loves someone else. I wish I could say I have been a one woman man these past couple months but since her, I try to get rid of her scent but it just stays no matter who I'm with."

"I'm interested in hearing more about this woman and talking about the other women in your hour is up though and I have another client. How do you feel our session went?"

"It went okay. Thanks Doc."

"You're welcome. I will see you in a couple days. And Sid?"

"Yes?"

"Try to decrease the number of times you wash your hands too. You won't have any skin left if you keep it up. Try to clean a little less too. I believe in!"

"Thanks. See you later Doc."

Sid walked out of the office, feeling a little more hopeful. How that woman had picked that deep into his brain in less than an hour was unknown to him? He felt better being able to talk to someone about what was going on with him, but he wasn't sure he ready for the work. He had been to therapy before but that was when he was a kid. Being an adult, you're more stubborn and he could already tell Dr. Bliss didn't accept bullshit. Maybe he was becoming one of those bullshitters he hated so much.

He was hopeful to talk about Helga. Hell, he hadn't even talked to Helga and what happened between them. He felt abandoned. She had moved on so quickly and of course he knew she loved Arnold for practically her whole life but damn! Was Sid really THAT disposable?

If there was one word that described how he felt right now he felt disposable. At work things moved on, Helga was with Arnold, his ex-best friend had moved on to maximum security prison and even his own parents hadn't check on him since he was in the found Sid to be important, to matter in their lives anymore?

He sees a familiar blonde in the waiting area. She had got to be torturing him. Her smell was extremely arousing to him even from that far away.

"Helga?" God, she was still gorgeous.

She blushes. Boy, did he miss her blush. Her hair was coiled into a high bun and she was dressed in a white pants suit. If she was his he'd let her locks run free and have her dress for all to gaze at her beauty. Arnold had her covered up like a nun. She was beautiful. She could've been his.

"Sid, hey. You have an appointment with Dr. Bliss too?"

He could feel the awkwardness in the air. She clearly wasn't expecting to see him nor was he expecting to see remembered how easy it used to be to talk to her but now it felt like pulling teeth.

Sid let out an uncomfortable chortle, "Uh, yea just finished actually. I, I had no idea you went to, you know, talk to someone."

Helga flipped her bang and said, "I've been going to Dr. Bliss for years now. It's great to have someone to work out problems with."

"So what's with the outfit? Going to the Oscars?"

Her baby blue eyes glowed with joy. "Oh no, I'm trying something new. Trying to actually look like an investigative journalist you know?"

"It's nice you got a career change. The journalism, it fits you."

"Yea, I don't have much to investigate since the whole Rhonda thing but if you know anyone that needs help send them my way."

"I will, um Helga, we should go get drinks sometime."

"Yea, I'll see if Arnold would be up for it. Well, I got to go to my appointment now. Bye Sid."

Fuck Arnold. What did Arnold have that he didn't?

~/~

He felt lonely in his apartment. Once he got in he washed his hands exactly ten times before getting into his shower for an hour. He washed until the nagging in his head stop and got out. He wrapped the towel around his waist and plopped down on his bed, He saw the familiar bottle and opened it. The warmth sliding down his throat put him at ease.

He began to drift off and feel the feeling of freedom spread through his body. His chest was warm and his body felt light. He took another big gulp of the whiskey and fell further and further away from sobriety. He knew he wasn't supposed to per Dr. Bliss' but it helped him sleep. It helped him feel better. It help him feel invincible for a few hours. At least when he was drunk his compulsions were quiet.

He looked at the clock. It was 10PM. He needed air. He would be damned if he spent another moment alone in his apartment. He wanted to wake up the next morning with a warm body next to him. At least it would numb him for awhile. As he began to get dressed his phone rung. He hoped it was some woman wanting a fine night out.

To his surprise he heard a sultry voice through the receiver of the phone, "Officer Sid?"

Immediately he remembered why he was so pissed before. Fucking Femme Fatale Marie ran off when he was trying to help her. He had tried to look for everywhere but to she didn't turn up. Now she was falling right into his lap with a simple phone call. God, he couldn't even be a good detective anymore if it was easier for her to find him than for him to find her.

"How the hell did you get my number Marie?"

"So you got my note?" Sid could hear people talking in the background. She was in a public place, which meant she wasn't hiding for the time being.

"Yes, I got your note and Marie isn't even your real name. What do you want?"

"I'm sorry I ran off Sid but I didn't want to wait until morning to look for my sister. I had to go out looking without the police and I found a lead. Can you help?"

"Why don't you go find another cop Marie or whatever your name is? I'm done being used."

"You're Sid the freaking kid. You saved the city. All I've been hearing around Hillwood is how you took down some huge mob boss. I don't want some other cop to help me find my sister, I want YOU, Sid. I want the best."

He had to admit his ego was stroked quite a bit. Someone actually needed his help. He was actually useful. He could actually do some detective work, undercover of course but Marie didn't need to know he wasn't a real cop at the moment. This was his chance to grasp his life back into place.

"What's the lead Marie? I'll help you but no one can know I'm helping you. It's dangerous out here in Hillwood. If people knew you were involved with me they could hurt you. A girl like you doesn't need to make enemies here."

Unless she wanted to end up like Rhonda, dead and six feet under.

Her voice was sultry and amorous, almost a low moan, "I believe we were already involved Officer."

How this woman had the ability to arouse him simply through the phone was a shock? Maybe he really was that lonely? Or maybe she really was that sexy? Maybe it was both?

Sid blushed and tried to play off being turned on. "Yea, yea. Give me the lead."

"Meet me at the Heart Ballroom. Wear a tux. I do hope you clean up just as well you ate my-"

The Heart Ballroom was the go to place for swanky and rich parties. How she found her way there was unknown to him. He did know Marie was resourceful and willing to use her body to get what she wanted. Maybe she found a guy to let her in.

"Alriiiiiiiight." She was making him blush like a damn school boy. Embarrassing. "I'll be there soon."

"Great. I hope you can tango Officer."

The way she said officer made his mouth run dry. She took advantage of the moment and hung up on him.

Did Sid even own a damn suit? God, he was so drunk. He hoped he could pull off the meanest Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot in all of history. He rummaged through his closet. Black suit and shades it is.

~/~

The dance floor was packed. The ballroom looked like something in a Jane Austen novel. The ballroom was lavished with gold floors and people who glided across it like the world owed them this night. Girls in long, dramatic dresses with elaborate trains and guys with their fine tailored suits filled room. Every person in this room had to be worth millions, just from the jewelry, watches, and expensive clothes they wore alone. This was not Sid's type of party.

He couldn't even find Marie in all of the fabric and diamonds. Then there she was.

In a room full of beautiful people she all he could see. There was something inexplicable about her, perhaps it's her warmth or perhaps it was her confidence. She had hazel eyes that could turn a man into stone just from a side glance. Her dark, raven hair was cascading down her back in loose curls. A single side bang swooped and covered her perfect right eye. Her plump lips were painted scarlet red, which matched perfectly with her red dress. The dress clung to her curves lip a second skin. It draped to ground with a very high slit, revealing a peek of her black garters she had on under her dress. Her breasts were hugged and sitting high, exposing her full cleavage in the strapless, sweetheart number. She was stunning and Sid was immediately caught in the vixen's spell.

"Officer, you made it!" She ran and hugged him like she hadn't seen him in years, like she hadn't just met him three days ago in another city. He craved her warmth. He enjoyed her body pressed up against his, even for a moment.

"How did you even get into this place?" Sid whispered as she pulled back from the hug.

"A girl has her ways." She winks at him and shakes her body so Sid could see every curves clearly moving. She was going to be a handful.

"Right, so what's this tip you have on your sister? I need information to get started on the investigation."

She didn't bother to answer his question. He pulled him to the dancefloor. "Come dance with me, Handsome!"

This girl was crazy. Her sister was missing and she wanted to dance.

So they continued to dance and spin. The lights were twinkling with every step as he spun her in delicate circles, her dark dress billowing out. He used to love things like this, the pressure of a warm hand on his back and the feeling of a small agile body in his control, gliding along the floor. Her body synchronizing with his was intoxicating. He held her body close and wrapped his hands on her wide hips as they swayed back and forth.

"I know you're drunk Officer." She whispered into his ear. Her warm breath made the hairs on his neck stand up.

"I'm not drunk. I'm a little tipsy."

"No sober guy wears sunglasses to a ballroom."

"No sane girl dances this close to a guy she barely knows."

"Touche. Officer."

"Your sister Alicia? Tell me why I'm really here."

"One of these rich, old shits has her. She was here two weeks ago. I just have to find out which one." She loosened her grip around his neck. She becoming distraught.

"And you thought coming here by yourself was okay? If one of these men took your sister how could you possibly avoid being kidnapped too?"

Her head fell into his shoulder, "That's why I called you. You'll protect me Sid."

One minute she was a femme fatale and the next minute she was a woman in desperation. She didn't even tell him her real name. What was this mysterious woman really hiding?

"Marie." He pulls her head up and their eyes lock.

Attraction for Sid was like a magnet. It's something about a beautiful woman that makes him say, "Hm there's something about her…". He is gravitated towards this one person and suddenly an extraordinary woman captivated his attention. The more he learns about the woman, the more he's exposed to her, he grows more and more hungry for more.

But then he'd be uninterested. He'd move on to someone else who attracted him more. No woman ever stuck, unless he counted Helga, who wasn't really his to started with. How then did Sid feel like there was something more with Marie that was special?

"Marie, don't lie to me. You need to tell me what's going on with your sister. I don't care if it's awful. Tell me the truth."

"She's a bad woman, Sid but, but she means well. She just got caught up trying to help me. She came here to protect me."

"Protect you from what?!"

"It's-

The sound of gunshots rang in Sid's ears.

"Get down!" He toppled down on Marie to shield her from any stray bullets.

The gunshots cracked through the air like loud thunder. Everyone jumped and hit the floor. They were coming from all directions. Sid couldn't even pull out his own gun for fear being shot.

His heart was beating fast, his breathing speed up.

No, no, no, not now- He thought.

He began to sweat and his body was getting hot. The sound of bullets took him back to the night he was shot and betrayed by Harold. He could still feel the bullet ripping through his skin and puncturing his insides.

It felt like he was on fire. It felt like he couldn't breathe fast enough. Where was he? Where? He didn't do it. He had to shoot him. He had to. Pop. Pop. A scream. No, it was an accident. He lied. Where was he? Blood. So much blood. Who was he? A cold gun in his hand. He is shaking. He is dying. He is dead.

"Sid, are you okay?" Marie was stirring from under him. She could feel his every bodily movement. "Sid, come back!"

Pop. Pop. Harold. Bullets. A snake. Scrub. He's dirty. He's filthy. He's stained.

Marie yelled, "SID! Please snap out of it?!"

Once the gunshots stopped everyone slowly began to get up. Sirens sounded. He was still breathing heavy but the sirens helped him come down. They relaxed him. He remembered where he was and who he was with.

His name was Sidney. He was protecting Marie. There were gunshots. He had a panic attack. Everything was okay now. He was fine. He wasn't shot and neither was she.

He gets up and helped Marie off the floor.

Marie struck him hard across the face. "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you have PTSD or something?"

"NO! I'm fine. I'm good. I'm normal."

Why would she even suggest something so preposterous?

She had her hands on her hips and indignantly said, "Well you blacked the hell out there. Pull it together."

What the hell happened to desperate, "you'll protect me Sid" Marie? This girl had more personalities than Sybil.

"Let's get out of here. We can't track this guy down with the cops around."

"Why not? You're a cop aren't you? Can't you work as a cop on the scene. Get some information to help find out who did this."

He would if he actually had his badge buuuuut he didn't.

"Yea but it's complicated coordinating with other officers. Policemen aren't easy to work with." That's the lie he was sticking too. "We need to get your out of here. I'm guessing your sister was trying to protect from this."

Sid picked up a stray bullet at his feet and places it in his pocket. He could ID it at home himself. No use wanting on the force to do it. He didn't need his badge. He could do this on his own.

Once they were safe in his car and none of the officers saw him at the scene, he and Marie sped off.

"What the hell did your sister do? They were shooting to kill tonight."

"She's a spy."

Sid burst out laughing hard. "Riiiiiiight like Mata Hari invading France or some shit. No one does THAT anymore, especially a woman."

"Yea well THIS woman kicked your ass. You remember that and it isn't a joke. She's a secret agent. I'm telling the truth."

"She's a fucking spy? What is she doing like Pink Panther level espionage? You expect me to believe this."

Marie just looked at him with the most serious expression he had seen all day.

Well fuck.

Author's Note: This time around I decided to dabble into some spy mystery genre tropes. Trying my hand at it but primarily it's a romance mystery.

What do you guys think about Marie? Can we trust her? What about the therapy session? And how about Sid and Helga? They'll be talking next chapter. In general, what do you all think?


	3. Rule Number 3: Keep Your Women Closer

**Rule Number 3: Keep Your Gun Close and Your Women Closer**

The moon was full in the sky. The night was the time Sid was up and active the most. Crazies and crooks always did their business at night. Sometimes he'd sit in the living room and stare aimlessly out of his window. He'd look over at the city and become amazed by the soul the city displayed.

He always enjoyed that brief moment of silence amongst the chaos when the sun finally set. On this particular night though he couldn't find solace in even the picturesque sunset. He was fighting himself not to drink and it was tearing him apart. He hated being alone in the silence with his own thoughts. His thoughts terrified him, more than living ever could.

Marie was asleep in the other room so he tried to contain his urge to clean everything obsessively. He found himself plucking the rubber band he secured around his wrist. When he was a kid he used to do it every time he got a compulsion and it definitely helped then. Right now though, the thin piece of rubber wasn't cutting it. They kept snapping and so was he.

Much to Sid's surprise Marie wandered out of his bedroom wearing one of his button up shirts. He lent it to her because she hadn't gotten the rest of things yet. He was trying be a good guy but seeing her in his shirt and nothing else made it hard to ignore her assets.

"I thought you were sleep." Sid said. The girl twirls a strand of her hair and sits down Indian style next to him.

"Nope. The city never sleeps so I don't either. Not since my sister left anyway." She grins. "You don't sleep either apparently."

"Just have a lot on my mind."

"A swig for your thoughts." She reveals the large bottle of whiskey he stores in his room from under her shirt.

"I shouldn't be drinking Marie."

"You aren't. I drink. You talk. Promise." She uncaps the bottle and takes a big gulp. "Unless you think I can't hold my dark liquor."

"Fine. Shoot."

"So what are you like Batman or something? You're broody and you have scars everywhere and you obviously like to sit in the dark a lot."

"Ha, I'm just a good police officer. As far as the brooding some things changed in my life and well, I'm working on them." Sid's eyes focus on the bottle. The familiar feeling of having a knot in his stomach forms like when he starts thinking about Harold and Big Gino. He snatches the bottle. "A shot for your thoughts Marie."

"Fine." She smiles and purses her lips. "Ask me anything." She bats her eyelashes and plops down on the floor next to Sid. While Sid is sitting Indian style, Marie decides to give an ample display of her breasts through the half buttoned shirt. The way she was lying exposed her cleavage.

To make it worse she was showcasing her gorgeous rack in HIS shirt. It was making him weak. A woman wearing HIS shirt turned him on more than anything else. She was tempting, way too tempting for Sid.

"What's going on with your sister? You said she's a spy right so what was she looking for in Hillwood?"

She brought the bottle to her lips slowly and took a big gulp.

"She's more like a bounty hunter. You know she tracks down guys who owe debts and shit. I don't know what's going on but she's gone and the last place she was was in Hillwood according to her credit card statements."

Sid smirked. "You know it's illegal to look at other people's mail right?"

Marie said seductively, "Arrest me then _Officer_."

She leaned forward, causing the arm of the shirt to fall away, revealing her nude shoulder. She was doing it on purpose, Sid concluded. She knew she was an attractive girl and she knew she could use it to her advantage.

"My turn now." She winked and before Sid could blink she had jumped into his lap. She leaned in so her full breasts pressed against his chest. She used her free hand to rub slow circles on his inner thigh and the other the stroking his side burns.

She was so close he could feel her breath. He could feel her heart beating against his chest. He could feel her soft, smooth skin on his face. He could smell her scent and most importantly he could see straight into her beautiful blue eyes. He found himself stroking her blonde hair.

Marie said in a low whisper, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"M-"

Before Sid could even answer she had her tongue down his mouth and her hands teetering far too close to the friend in his pants. She wrapped her legs against Sid's waist and starts to grind slowly.

Sid groans and grabs her full hips.

He must resist. He must. This was obviously a trap. Her hand going in his pants was obviously a trap but God did it feel good.

No, no, no! He couldn't let this girl and little pleasure distract him. In a burst of strength he gently pushes her off of him and gets up.

He coughs while she's still on the floor, "Marie, we can't do that anymore."

He could feel her behind him now. Just as he was adjusting his raging erection in his pants there she was running her tiny fingers up and down his back.

She whined, "But why? You're attractive. Are you saying you're not attracted to me?"

Was she kidding him? If she didn't know the answer to that question she didn't get a feel of how hard he was right now.

"No Marie, God no. You're fucking hot okay but I can't sleep with you. It was a mistake sleeping with you when I was drunk."

She reaches around and grabs his penis in both her hands and teases, "I can feel you want me...so bad." She delivers soft and wet kisses on his neck. His body was shivering from his spine to his toes.

How did he ever even get this girl into his life, let alone his home?

It took everything in him to slap her hand away. He ran across the room to the couch and used a pillow to hide his erection. She was never going to take his rejection of her advance seriously when his body was making it evidently clear that he wanted her.

He cleared his throat, once he got the pillow and his pants properly adjusted. "Marie, you are just a kid. You JUST turned 21. You should be off with men your own age in school or something."

"I'm 21 which means I can consent. We're both adults here." She joins him on the couch and lays her head on the pillow in his lap. She stretches out on the couch and gets comfortable.

Even the sight of her head (conveniently located on a pillow) lying near his crotch drove him crazy.

She continued on, gazing up at him from below. "You and I both know I'm a woman in every way."

"I'm not talking about physically and do you even know how old I am? I don't even know you're real name. This definitely isn't how two consenting adults begin a sexual relationship."

She says in a snarky tone, "Oh please, I saw you back there at the club before we met. You took women home whose names you didn't know without a problem. That isn't the problem." She shuts her eyes. Her tone softens. "I know something's wrong with you Sid. Something terrible happened. That's why you ran away from Hillwood. That's why you had a panic attack. But I don't care. We're all a little messed up some way."

All of that sounded like a Helga speech. Maybe that was why he was so infatuated with her. She reminded and frankly looked a lot like Helga. When she was near him, he could safely imagine Helga was near and still wanted to be with him.

"You don't know me. I don't know you. I'm 28. I'm far too old for you. I've seen and experienced things that you couldn't imagine. You are only beginning to live life."

"Right but I wasn't too young when you took me home from the bar."

"That was different. I was DRUNK."

"Yea and I WASN'T. I was sober enough to know what I want and I still want you. I just want to have fun, to feel good. I don't want to think about my sister."

"Trust me, you don't know what you want right now. You can't seduce someone into wanting you, I learned the hard way. You cannot use sex as an escape Marie."

Boy, was he one to talk. He was the king at running away and escaping from problems at this point.

"And you can't use alcohol to escape yours!" Sid's eyes widened. "Yea I fucking noticed. You basically have an entire liquor store in your apartment. Truth is that you are scared. You're scared to feel things and live. You're scared of me too, that's why you won't sleep with me. Maybe I remind you of someone else. I don't know but you can't keep running from being attracted to me forever _Officer_."

With that Marie got up and went into Sid's bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

That was SUCH a Helga storm off. He did it again! Damn, he really WAS comparing her to Helga at every waking moment. He had to get Helga out of his brain once and for all. He also had to get the girl that locked herself in his bedroom, well off of his OTHER brain.

Truth was he didn't want to take advantage of Marie. Sex was great but using people was not. He knew how it felt to be someone's stand in and it hurt. He wouldn't do what Helga did to him to anyone else. He couldn't use her body as a dispenser for his pain and heartbreak.

Sid knocked on the door hard for at least ten minutes. He finally said, "Marie come on! Open up! Don't shut me out! How am I supposed to help your sister if you locked me out?!"

The door flew open and the blonde headed young girl was in tears. She crashed into his chest and sobbed. He embraced and allowed her to let all of her pain out. Who cared if his shirt was getting wet? This girl needed his help.

And help her he would, even if he had to try a little harder than usual to control his urges.

Sid lied down on the bed and cradled Marie in his arms while she cried. He held her until she had fallen asleep, which had been ten minutes later. He gently put her to bed with the blanket over her and slivered out of the room.

If he was going to spend the night on the couch he might as well had gotten some work done while he was.

He got the bullet from his pocket and then his laptop. He opened it and then shut it.

Oh yea, Sid had no police clearance. He couldn't even run an analysis on the bullet if he wanted to. Technically he had stolen and withheld evidence from a crime scene too. If Serg knew he was going all vigilante, rogue nation he'd be off the force forever.

This was pathetic as hell.

He hated depending on other people but he needed to call in a favor. He dialed Lorenzo's number. Even if he moved to another county he was valuable. When Lorenzo was a rookie, Sud saved his ass one too many times. He could have Lorenzo do his dirty work without anyone knowing.

"Hello?" He heard his slight Spanish accent through the receiver and smiled.

He said in a chipper tone, "Heeeeeey Lorenzo! How's it going man?"

"Fine Sid. Listen it's late and my wife doesn't really like me taking non-work calls this late at night. What is it?"

That's right. He did get married. Somehow remembering that fact made Sid feel alone. Everyone had someone but him.

He shook it off and said, "Well this is work related buddy! I need you to analyze a bullet for me. I can send it right over to Summerville."

"Why can't you do that yourself? What's wrong with Hillwood PD's ballistics?"

Of course he asked. Fuck him for asking the right questions.

"Um you know we're going through new management and getting new tech and stuff so our stuff is a little wonky right now." Sid wiped his forehead, convinced he had saved that long, embarrassing explanation. "Listen can you just have ballistics analyze the bullet? I know police clearance gets things pushed through faster."

"Oh well I don't see why you can't use your own clearance for this but I understand. We had a new ballistics team last year and it was a mess. Send it to me in the morning and I'll get right on it."

"Thanks man, you're a lifesaver."

"No problem when I was a rookie you taught me the ropes so I owe you. Listen the wife is getting a little upset so I'll call you when I have the bullet done. Bye Sid. Take care."

Lorenzo hung up and Sid plopped down on his couch. Without his police clearance he was useless. Marie didn't need Sid, the man. She needed Sid , the kid and the excellent cop. He was neither of those things right now. He was a fucking failure pretending to still be something he used to be.

He curled up into a ball and hoped that tomorrow he could be useful for someone, anyone.

~\\\~

He awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. Sid loved a woman in that could cook. His mother used to cook him bacon and eggs every morning. The smell sent pleasant memories in his head.

He wiped his eyes and saw Marie, once again in his shirt, plating food. God, she was gorgeous.

"Good Morning Sleepy Head!" Marie brought a plate of scrambled eggs and five pieces of bacon over to him.

Probably Sid's first real night of sleep since the Harold thing happened.

"Morning."

"Your phones been ringing all morning. I didn't answer it."

He jumped for the phone on the coffee table in front of him. Jesus, he had a few missed calls from Lorenzo and two texts from Helga.

He completely forgot to send the bullet and he completely forgot about coffee with Helga.

He read the text:

 _Helga Patacki: Hey Dork, Coffee at 10:30?_

 _Helga Patacki: So it's not 10:30 and no answer sooooo I guess no coffee. Give me a call though._

He looked at the clock. It was 11:05. Maybe he could still make it. He needed to mail in the evidence anyway.

He rushed into his room and quickly washed up. Once he was done that he took the bullet, put it in a plastic bag, then put it in a yellow envelope for mailing. He wrote the address as he grabbed his coat. Once he got to the door he was met with an annoyed girl blocking the door with her hands on her hips.

"Come on Marie, I have to go. Move."

"You better be finding leads on my sister AND you can't leave your guest here all alone. I want to come too."

He was in a rush anyway. "Fine, fine. You can come. Get dressed quick. I'm late for something."

After she got dressed they headed out of the door. He dropped the bullet off at the post office to be mailed to Lorenzo then headed to Slausens.

He parked the car and looked over at the girl next to him. He couldn't risk her running off again. She was going in with him. It was just Helga he was seeing anyway

They got out of the car and walked into the cafe.

"So what are we here for anyway? You said you have a meeting?" Marie asked curiously.

Then he saw them together. Helga and Arnold sitting in the corner booth all cuddled up. He balled his fist up and clenched his jaw. He fucking hated him. That should've been him. He was the one that saved her life, NOT Arnold. She should be with him.

Marie tapped him on the shoulder. "Um, Sid, you're going to snap your phone in half."

He had forgotten he even had it in his hands. Shit, he needed to go now. It was a mistake going late anyway. Helga had obviously called Arnold when he didn't show.

Once again he was reminded of how replaceable he was. He didn't feel good about this and wanted to leave.

"SID! Hey! Way to be on time." Helga waved and yelled over to him.

Too late. Too fucking late.

As they walked over to the booth Marie whispered, "Who's she?"

"An old friend." Sid whispered back just as they reached the table and sat across from the happy couple in the booth.

Just looking at them together made him sick. They were so obviously happy it was nauseating.

"Hey Sid. Who's your friend?" Arnold asked smiling.

Fuck him and his smile. Stupid, positive attitude having motherfucker.

He suddenly realized how awkward this was. He was going to introduce a girl he had slept with to the girl he had almost slept with. Things couldn't get any worse than this.

"Um, this is Marie. She's a cousin from out of town. She's staying with me for awhile."

Sid kicked Marie's ankle from under the table, signaling her to go with his lie. No way he was explaining any of this to Arnold, let alone Helga.

Helga looked skeptical. "Cousin, huh?"

Marie smiled and said, "Yes, I'm his COUSIN. It's very nice to meet you all."

"Marie, this is Arnold and Helga. They're two of my oldest friends." Sid introduced.

"Well it's very nice to met you Marie." Arnold responded picking up the menu. "We already ordered but I can put in an order for you both at the counter. I have to pick up the food anyway."

"Can u get a shot of whiskey? Like in a regular cup? Can I just get a cup of whiskey?" Sid was empathic on the whiskey.

"Um, no but I can get you a cola Sid. What do you want Marie?"

Marie flashed a smile and betted her eyelashes. "Water is fine. I'm not too hungry. Thanks Arnold."

Arnold nodded then left, leaving Sid and the two blondes alone at the table. Sid felt like dying was the best option at the moment.

Helga blurted out as soon as Arnold was out of ear shot. "So where'd you find this girl Sid? The strip club?"

Marie protested, "You don't even know me lady!"

"Well no, I don't but I know your breasts are fake. Just as fake as your innocent girl routine. You could've at least found someone that didn't look like me to fuck Sid."

"We are not fucking Helga. Shut your mouth okay."

"Oh we absolutely have fucked and it was wonderful. Seems to me you're jealous Helga. Are you jealous because there's a younger model around? Or are you jealous because you're stuck with gullible Arnold over there?"

He didn't even know what to say. They were arguing and had just met eachother. How could they possibly hate each other already? He wanted to shoot them both for acting that way. Wish, he kept his gun close in times like this.

Helga threatened, "Shut your trap before I pull your bleached blonde weave out of your head!" Helga balled her hands up in fists. "I wanted to talk to you because I was worried and I should be worried when you're okay with being around this girl. You can't seriously trust her Sid?"

"I am helping her with something Helga. Please stop being rude to my cousin!"

"Really? You're still saying she's your cousin. She just said you two had sex."

Sid was not putting up with Helga's attitude anymore. "What is the problem with that Helga? I mean, you had your chance. You're with Arnold now."

Helga blushed and was obviously flustered. He didn't expect him to say that to her. Everyone was dead quiet when Arnold returned with drinks.

"So what's everyone talking about?" Arnold asked obliviously.

"Nothing." Sid got up. "Marie and I were just leaving. I have somewhere to be. Good bye."

Sid dragged Marie from the booth and out of the restaurant with him.

"She still wants you Sid." Marie said as he pulled off the curve. "And you still want her too considering you could've snapped your own phone in half when you saw them together. She's an ex?"

"She doesn't want me. We were never together, thanks to her."

"You seem a little bitter about things still." Marie rolled down the window. "You shouldn't even entertain her. If she wanted you so bad she would be with you and not Arnold. Only thing you can do now is get your shit together and move on."

Sid was silent. Maybe he did still want Helga. Even if he did there was no way she was jealous back there. She was just overly concerned for him and ended up jumping to conclusions. Helga didn't want him. Helga never wanted him.

"I have somewhere else to be at 1. Can you wait in the car for an hour without running off Marie?"

"Sure, where you going?"

"I, I I have a shrink. Just don't make a big fuss out of it."

He felt weak even saying it out loud. He hated the idea of needing to talk to someone else about his problems. He hated not having all the answers in his life.

Instead of judging Marie was very reassuring, "Seems like you're the one making the fuss out of it Sid. We're all a little messed up. It's good you're getting help"

Messed up was definitely an understatement for Sid. He was fucked up for sure.

 **Author's Note: There you go. The next chapter will be for the therapy session with Dr. Bliss. What do you want them to talk about? What do you want to happen next?**


	4. Rule Number 4: Move On or Get Moved Out

**I apologize in advance for the briefness of the chapter!**

 **Rule Number Four: Move On or You Will Be Moved Out**

Dr. Bliss' office was cold and felt oddly sterile. The woman had devoted her life to cleaning up other people's lives so it probably made sense to have a clean office. He sat down in the plastic covered chair, facing the grey haired woman and felt like he was sitting in the hot seat.

"It's nice that you came back Sid. It's good to see you."

"Thanks Doc. Talking to you actually helped a lot."

"I'm glad so how did you do with my homework?"

"I haven't drank any liquor." The thought of not having a shot made him anxious. He snapped the band on his wrist. "I'm working on the outlet thing."

Honestly he had found an outlet which was finding out what happened to Marie's sister and being the fakest cop the world had ever seen but you know, self-incrimination was a thing.

"Great so tell me about your week so far. Any significant things happen?"

Being shot at. Having pussy thrown at him. Having two girls fight over him. She had to be more specific with the word significant around him.

"Not that I can think of."

"Okay, well today let's focus on your relationships. You mentioned you have someone special."

"It's complicated."

"I've been in the business for 30 years. Complicated is something I'm very good at handling."

"She's with someone. She looks happy and youthful and just so in love. But I still find myself wanting her and I know she still wants me to."

"How do you think that if she's with another man, presumably her boyfriend?"

"Well, I saw her. I was with another woman and she was with him. She acted so jealous seeing me with another woman. She called her all kinds of names. I know her and she just uses her name calling to hide her real feelings."

"And what are her real feelings Sid?"

"She loves me. She wants to be with me. Why else would she be so blatantly jealous of me and another woman."

"Riiiiiight. When you saw her with her boyfriend how did you feel?"

" I felt angry and hurt."

"Hurt how?"

"It hurt that she moved on so fast after me. I know we weren't together but we had _something_. She was special. She means a lot to me."

"Okay and how do you think she felt when she saw you with the other woman."

"Probably the same way I felt."

"Well perhaps she isn't jealous at all. Perhaps she is just feeling a little jolted seeing you move on so fast. Her ego was probably bruised to say the least. It doesn't mean she wants to be with you Sid. It just means she's being human. Everyone experiences a hint of hurt when they see their ex-lover move on so quickly."

"So you're saying she doesn't still want to be with me? She was just acting like that because her feelings were a little hurt."

"Precisely."

"But the girl I was with isn't even my girlfriend so I don't see why her feelings were so hurt."

"You shouldn't dwell on it Sid. You have to move on, just as she had. If she really wanted to be with you, if it was really meant to be don't you think you two would be together already?"

"Yes. I just don't know how to move on."

"Have you tried dating?"

"I'm kind of having this chick staying at my place right now and it's got me completely tied up."

"Tell me more."

"She's just a lot of work. I'm helping her with something."

"And she's living with you, correct?"

"Yes."

"Is she simply a roommate or are you two intimate?"

"I, we, well, um, we _were_ once."

"Uh huh and what's stopping you from being with this mystery girl?"

"Um well she's insane and the circumstances are confusing. She wanted to have sex with me last night. She was literally throwing it at me and I turned her down. I feel like an idiot."

"You have the right to reject a woman's sexual advances."

"Not with a girl like _her_. She's the type of girl that could be a model or something. She's gorgeous but I just couldn't bring myself to take advantage of her."

"Interesting word choice. You said you didn't want to 'take advantage of her'. Have you taken advantage or have been taken advantage of sexually before?"

"So is this the part were we talk about every place my dick has went?"

Dr. Bliss glared hard at him.

"Sorry. Well the person I lost my virginity to, let's just call her R she was only sleeping with me to get back at my best friend who was her boyfriend. Everyone after that has been a fling. I guess I can say I take advantage of the people I sleep with because they are never consistent but I can't say they weren't willing participants."

"You've had no serious relationship with anyone?"

"I try but they get scared because of my job being so dangerous and can't handle the stress. Either that or people just tend to leave."

"You keep saying 'people' or 'they'. We established that you have been with women but are you also interested in men too?"

He hadn't even realized he was doing that. It was funny because he hadn't thought about that situation for years plus they never talked about it.

When was the last time he and Stinky even talked?

"I'll say I experimented before."

"Tell me more about that experience."

"Okay just to get things straight here, I am NOT gay Doc so don't go there. I had a male friend in high school who was questioning his sexuality. He was being tortured by it and he didn't know which way he swung. He said he didn't have anyone else to test himself on so we started messing around. It was nothing serious. We kissed and did a little touching but it never got THAT far. We fooled around, yes but we didn't have sex."

"And were you attracted to this young man during the experience?"

"God, NO. Stinky is not my type. I don't like dick Doc. We just messed around that's it and that's all."

So what if he did get turned on when Stinky was touching him? He was a hormonal teenage boy. It didn't mean anything. Nothing at all. He hadn't been attracted to another man ever in his life.

"You don't have to defend yourself to me. I was simply asking questions. I wasn't accusing you of anything or making judgements on you or your sexuality. You're the expert in every session Sid, not me."

"Yea well the _expert_ doesn't want to talk about this anymore."

"Fine. How about we talk about why your boss sent you here in the first place? You had some sort of work related incident, correct?"

"I shot my partner. I shot him right in the chest."

"How did it happen?"

"He's been my friend for so long… I didn't think that he would be a dirty cop. He was. He was going to kill me. It was him or me and naturally I chose myself. He's in jail now."

"You seem detached. Obviously this is a trigger and trauma for you."

"I'm not traumatized. I'm fine. People die. People lose partners. People move on. It's life."

"You cannot just shrug the situation off Sid. That is causing you extreme harm. It's triggering your OCD and your drinking. If you just talked about-"

"Why should I talk about it? Why shouldn't I shrug it off? Everyone else sure as hell has. Everyone else has carried on like I didn't almost kill my best friend!"

"I know it's hard but you need to move on to be able to grow. You must face your ex-partner and you must face your feelings for this woman so you can experience new healthy relationships."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"I suggest you seek closure in both situations. In life we need closure to transition from one point of life to another. I suggest you visit your partner in jail and get all you need to say out. I also suggest you have a talk with this girl instead of hiding or lying about your feelings. Once you lay everything on the table with her you can then let her go. It'll be hard to let both people go but trauma has changed you. You can't dwell in the past. You must move forward as a new changed man Sid. That's the only way. Otherwise life will find a way to move you out if you don't move on."

"But I don't want to lose them. I love them both."

"And you can still love them but you must realize that sometimes people are not meant to stay forever. Some people are there to teach lessons so you can be better off in the next stage of life."

"The thought of losing anyone makes me sick. I spend my life making sure people are protected so no one has to lose anyone else. I never thought I'd have to lose someone. "

"Oh it will be painful but Sid once you don't have your past paints holding you back, nothing can stop you from becoming a fully realized person. You just need to drop the things that are holding you back."

"Fuck."

"If you need anything during this process you can call me Sid. Your progress is important to me. You understand your assignment?"

"Yes, go face them. Both of them. To get closure then we can work more efficiently from there."

"Exactly. Our session is up. You call me during your progress. Anytime. Any place. I'll schedule you for a couple weeks from now. You need time to work things out on your own."

"Um thanks Doc."

Sid left to be met with a familiar face once again.

"H,hey Helga."

"Oh hey Sid. Did you enjoy the session?"

Of course Dr. Bliss didn't know they knew eachother. This was a violation of confidentiality 101. He wondered if Helga talked about him in their sessions?

"Um yea it was helpful."

"Good, I'll see you around."

"Hey um Helga," He froze. How was he supposed to asked for something as complicated as closure in a two minute conversation. "If you ever need to talk, you know without Arnold around, we can do that. I mean, yea, so yea."

That was a fail. He sounded like a creep who was trying to come onto her.

"Yea. We could do that Bucko. See ya."

He got into the car and was breathing extremely hard. He felt like his chest was going to cave in.

"Sid? You okay?" Marie asked

He said in staggered breaths, "Yea I'm f,f,fine."

"Dude do you need an inhaler or something? What did the shrink do to you? Steal your soul?"

No, it was Helga Patacki that had stolen something far more valuable. His heart.

His phone rang. His hand shakes to answer it.

"H,hello,o?"

"Hey Sid. It's Lorenzo. Is this a bad time? You don't sound too good."

"I'm, uh…. Fi,ine."

"Okaaaaaay. Well I have the bullet analyze. I shipped it to Hillside PD for you to pick up."

FUCK! How was he even supposed to….. Dammit…. God fucking dammit.

He hung up the phone and slammed it on the dashboard. If it wasn't one thing it was another. It literally felt like he got rammed in the chest.

"Sid? What's going on? Do you need air?"

He's a fucking screw up and he always would be. He was lying to that poor girl. He couldn't save her sister. He couldn't save anyone. He couldn't even save himself.

 **Author's Note: Next chapter Sid will be confronting either Harold or Helga. I'll let you all decide which one. Also, possibly break-in scene.**


	5. Rule Number 5: Love and Closure

**Rule Number 5: Seek Lessons on Love and Closure**

The room was spinning and the walls were painfully white. How long had he been out? Did he really have a panic attack in public? Fuck, this was pathetic. He couldn't even rely on all that therapy he had to prevent situations like freaking out in your very own car with a strange girl in the passenger's seat.

His head was throbbing and he felt like he had an entire truck sitting on his chest. Turns out it was a grown woman instead.

Sid squealed like a baby when he saw her sitting on his chest once his eyes finally found their focus. Marie was laughing so hard she ended up rolling off of him.

Sid screamed and rubbed his eyes. "You were watching me sleep you creep!"

"You're so cute _Officer_." She batted her eyes and smirked at him while twirling her blonde hair around her fingers.

Sid shrug it off and figured it was just her nature to flirt with him. "How did you even get me home?"

"I drove." She said nonchalantly as she crawled into bed with him.

A kid had to drive him home because he passed out. How embarrassing, having to be saved by a girl who he barely even knew. He was feeling like the biggest loser of all time. Like he was still in the fourth grade and was being stuffed in lockers and trash cans. He wasn't the same wimpy kid. He WASN'T

"Listen, I'm sorry you had to see that. Just don't bring it up." He was losing it. The worst thing he wanted was to be taunted by her right now. His ego had been through enough.

"I won't but you know you got to talk to somebody. A big, strong man like you still needs someone to lean on. Don't look so sad."

She said this as she crawled into his chest. "Is this better?"

There was a purity about her, yet to Sid she was his drug. It was hard to resist seconds her body is moulded to his own, sharing her body heat. He could never let another close to him like this, but she's so different. She relaxed into his arms and for the first time in a long time, he could sleep peacefully.

~/~

So it begins. Sid has to somehow casually get into the mailroom without anyone noticing him. He needed the information about the gun. Of course he could just ask Lorenzo to resend it ,at the risk of losing his only confidante on the force, but that wasn't an option.

He walked into the police station with a bare shaved face, a white tee, and jeans with a green baseball cap. He definitely looked like the ideal civilian. Business at the station was normal. Officers going in and out. Detectives interviewing suspects. Officers at their desks typing and slaving away. He wished he was still there. He hated how the entire force moved on without him like he didn't even matter. He had thought of the other guys on the force like his family, like his brothers.

Apparently the men who he was looking at now didn't see him the same. It was like he was a ghost.

He headed back into the Sergeant's office and gave a knock on the door. Great, no answer. He wasn't here which means no one would ask questions when he creeped to the back. Sid hightailed to the hallway.

A familiar, yet oddly country bumpkin voice stopped him, "Sid? Sidney?"

He stopped dead in his tracks. The man tall and lanky with tawny brown hair that was shaved in a neat buzz cut. Dude had to be taller than Sid and that was saying something considering he was 5'11". He was the type of man you walked passed everyday, but didn't acknowledge until just the right moment when you need a tall guy to get something for you off the top shelf.

Jesus, he still had that drawl. Sid hadn't seen Stinky in MONTHS, not since they played a game of Poker at Harold's. Stinky didn't live in Hillwood. He lived out in the county on his parent's farm and grew random shit like corn and tomatoes. He could afford to make a living as a farm, considering he was still getting royalty check as a Yahoo Soda kid.

"Stinky? What are you doing here?" It was rare for Sid to be face to face with anyone's chest, let alone another grown man's but next to Stinky, he looked like a kid. He couldn't get what Dr. Bliss said out of his mind. _Were you attracted to this young man? You are the expert._

"Some kids stole my tractor. I reckon, I could put in a report to get my baby back. Didn't expect to see you here though Sid."

Shit, he knew. He fucking knew. Sid froze in fear. He felt his heart start to race.

Stink smirked, trying to be light-hearted, "I heard about Harold. That bites. I figured you'd be on leave."

Oh, thank God.

"Yea, ha I am on my day off but I left something in my locker."

"Well I reckon the officer sound be done with the report. It's been awhile. We should catch up when you finish with your stuff." Stinky flashed a smirk at him. "I'll be outside. We can take your car."

"Um, okay." Something about seeing Stinky after all this time made Sid seem oddly at ease. He had left Marie at home and told her he'd be back with the evidence to find her sister soon, but she could wait. It was Stinky afterall.

To his task at hand. Sneaking into the mailroom and not being caught. He needed to have the strength of a raging fire and mysterious as the dark side of the moon. Be a man Sid, on some Mulan shit.

"Sidney?"

"Serg...hey Sir!"

He had never been more afraid of seeing his superior in his whole life.

"You're looking better. I see you and Dr. Bliss are making progress. Take as much time as needed. You are always welcome here." The Sergeant's blank stare after that statement made Sid's stomach turn. "There was a package that came here to you. Must have not changed the address yet and had a mix up. I'll grab it for you."

The Sergeant disappeared into the mailroom and returned minutes later. He gave Sid an orange manilla envelope with his name addressed on it.

If Sid knew it was this easy to get the information he would've walked in ages ago. He headed out of the station feeling accomplished. He was met with a familiar face as soon as he left the had been an attractive youth, tall, rather ungainly, with thick brown hair. But now the gangling figure had been smoothed and tailored by success, he carried his height with easy self assurance and the grey eyes - which he knew so well how to use - held a basic joy.

Stinky had grown into himself rather nicely. How did Stinky think he looked after all this time? Probably like shit. He sure felt like shit all the time so he might as well look the part.

"Thanks for waiting. We can take your car if you want."

"Well since those dang kids stole my tractor, I had to walk here."

"Jesus! You walked from the COUNTY to Hillwood. How are your feet not bleeding? And wait, your tractor is your only form of transportation? That's insane."

"It's cheaper than one of those expensive cars, I reckon."

"Dude, you have YAHOO SODA royalties. Money shouldn't be an issue for you." Sid sighed. "Come on. Get in my car. I'll take you home."

"It's a 45 minute ride Sid."

"Yea and it's a five hour walk back. Get in the damn car." Sid wasn't taking no for an answer. He dragged Stinky to his car and made him get in.

The car ride started off quiet. This was the first time they had been alone in years. Whenever they did see each other Harold was always around. He didn't know where to start. This was his best friend from his childhood. Hell, they had did things in the past that qualified them as more than friends.

"So Sid, what's new with you? I heard about you taking down Gino. It's great you did that."

He figured he'd spare Stinky a long monologue about his fucked up and repressed feelings so he gave a response Stinky would expect.

"Bitches. Money. Booze. Nothing new." Sid knew he was full of shit. Maybe the Doc was right about his masculinity and it being some type of performance for him. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was his concept of masculinity. He wasn't going to start tearing it down now. That meant rocking himself to the core and letting out years of tears.

No, that wasn't an option. Not when he was sitting in a car with another grown ass man.

"I reckoned you'd say that." Sid reckoned he'd figure it out too. "I saw Eugene's announcement on the news."

Eugene, CEO of his own company had came out as gay months ago, following the death of his trophy fiancee, Rhonda. It took balls, Sid admitted. Balls and a lot of money for sure.

"We all knew he was gay, even in high school. I wasn't shocked. He just finally admitted it to himself."

Flashbacks of him and Stinky alone and shirtless popped into his head. He immediately shook it off. That didn't happen, he kept saying to himself.

Stinky retorted, "Don't say that Sid. You can't always tell if someone is gay. No one could tell I was."

Dead silence. He gripped the steering wheel hard as hell. Focus on the road and hope he doesn't bring it up.

"It's been so long Sid. I want to thank you for allowing me to experiment. It helped me realize that I was bisexual and that I shouldn't be ashamed to explore that. I know we never talked about our hook ups but I just had to say something."

"I'm not gay Stinky. I like women. I like tits and pussy. I drink Whiskey. I watch Nascar. Nothing about me is gay."

"I reckon, I didn't say anything about you being gay Sid. I'm not asking you to be. You're attracted to whatever you like. I just figured we should talk about it or at least let me thank you."

"You thanked me. There's nothing to talk about. We messed around years ago. That's it. I didn't even enjoy it."

"You're a bold faced liar Sidney. If I recall correctly you thoroughly enjoyed it. Just admit you liked it. It doesn't change who you are if you did."

"Actually it does. Men don't let other men give them blow jobs."

"You can be a man and still enjoy other man. What do you think I'm an alien or something? It happened ten years ago. That doesn't suddenly make you gay."

"I know- I just have trouble admitting ever being with another guy. God, I know I'm not gay but thinking about it, it just makes me feel weird."

"Forget about don't have to dwell on it. You are a heterosexual male who had a few experiences. Nothing to be ashamed of and you are no doubt a man, Sid. Masculinity is just some made up concept anyway."

Then why was he so hung up about asserting his masculinity?

"A real man should have his shit together."

"You should go visit Harold. I know you had to make a tough call by firing on him, but the three of us were always friends. He was always so good with giving you advice. It'll help you get closure too."

Seeing Harold was part of his homework and why did this word closure suddenly keep coming up? Closure with Harold. Closure with Helga. Closure with himself. He needed time.

Closure? Who would have thought it would become word of the day?

~/~

He dropped Stinky off twenty minutes later. The country hick and he spent the rest of the ride reminisciencing about all the scams they used to was good to catch up with his old friend. Stinky even invited him over for dinner one night because he "reckoned even cops need real food." Maybe he would take him up on that offer later but for now he had work to do.

Driving back to Hillwood he knew he had to clear his head. He turned on his radio and listened to the sound of the news.

" _This makes 3 women disappearing in Hillwood. A serial killer is certainly on the loose. Be alarmed if you are a blonde female with blue eyes. That is the target for this murderer. He mutilates the woman, which includes scalping them and then drops the bodies into the river. Be wary ladies. Hillwood PD s working hard to find this guy but until then be cautious."_

Of course a murderous serial killer would be on the loose when Sid couldn't even pull out his badge. Helga was this guy's type so was Marie. He suddenly wondered if her sister looked at all like her? Sid would hope she didn't get kidnapped by a serial killer.

Speaking of Marie's sister, he needed to open that package Lorenzo sent him. He pulled over quickly and opened the paperwork.

The gun was linked back to a Browning High Power pistol. Only 3 people who had registered gun licenses own that gun. One on the list of names was familiar. _Brainy._ He owed Brainy a visit. Why would he shoot up a ballroom of rich people, if this was the bullet that came from his gun?

He'd find out soon enough, after he visited Harold. This was possibly going to be the longest day ever for Sid.

 **Author's Note: All done. Speculations welcomed.**


	6. Rule Number 6: Hate the Sin Love the Dem

**Rule Number 6: Love the Demon. Hate the Sin.**

The morning came quick. Sid was apprehensive about going to see his ex-partner. He was fidgeting more than usual and feeling the urge to grab a drink more and more the close it got the visitation hours.

Something was heavy right in the pit of stomach. It felt like a large stone. It felt bad sick was going to go down. He always treated his gut but maybe that wasn't so reliable anymore. After all, he didn't know his own partner and best friend would double cross him.

He had to conquer one demon though. It would be one step closer to having his job back, his life back, and Marie reunited with her sister.

The man in front of him was heavy and had a five o'clock shadow. He looked worn and tired like life had kicked him right in the balls as soon as he ended up there. He looked sad and most of all he looked terribly sorry.

"Siiiiiiid the Kid! My man. It's so nice of you to visit me like old times. Remember when I got detention all the time at PS 118 and you would sneak in just to keep me company. Good times!"

He was acting like shit was normal like he didn't betray him. It wasn't okay.

"Yea well times ain't so good right now Harold."

"I've had a lot of time to think in here and-"

"No! I don't want your bullshit Harold! Not anymore. I don't want to hear you talk." Sid kept rubbing his hands together while he yelled at the sad man. "I AM in control now. You hear me!"

Harold nodded.

"You ruined my fucking life. I can't go back to work anymore because I'm too fucked up to deal with normal everyday shit. Everytime I look at my hands I see my friends blood. I can't escape it. It's like you wanted to fuck me up.

"Nothing makes sense anymore. How could you do that to me? How could ruin my gut like that? I thought you were my fucking friend, my partner, my BEST friend."

Harold sighed, "Sid I'm sorry."

"No you're not! You tried to kill me! What kind of friend tried to blow their friends brains out? What kind of friend teams up with the guy who used to beat my ass on the regular as a kid? Was Big Gino really enough to make you want to kill me? Make you kill Rhonda?"

"I'm paying the price for all of it now but Sid I want to thank you. You saved me. You saved me from Satan himself. I probably would've done worse if I continued to be Gino's bitch. When you shot me, when you took me, you saved my life."

"I didn't save you from Satan. You ARE Satan. You are the Devil. You are Evil in the flesh. You took every fucking thing from me. I can't eat normally, I can't think normally. I can't even get laid Harold. I'm terrified of letting people get close me. What's left for me while you're rotting in here? Everyone else has moved on but I can't. You should've killed me. You should've just fucking ended it all."

"Sid, your hands are bleeding…"

"Oh great thanks. Did I tell you my OCD is back for revenge? At least I can control how many times I wash my hands. At least when I drink I don't have to feel. I don't have to think about how much you did to me."

"You can hate me all you want, I don't blame you. You have got to get better. I want that for you. My friendship with you was real. You need to live life and not dwell on what I did. Let me worry about paying for that. Get Serg to let you back on the force. You are the most honest man I know. Certainly better than me."

"You killed Rhonda… I'm positive I'm better than you."

"At least we can agree with that. I have to look at myself in the mirror everyday and sleep with the fact that I killed the woman I loved; that I betrayed everyone I knew; that I destroyed my best friend. I have to live with that but you Sid, you are so much greater than your pain. Do incredible things. Become the Sergeant like we always joked about and save the Rhonda's of the world from people like me. Hillwood needs you, more than you need to keep remembering a ghost."

"You aren't a ghost Harold. You were my best friend."

"I'm already as good as dead. I'm going to die in here for what I did to Rhonda. I deserve that much."

"Why? Why did you do it?"

"Why'd I kill her? Because it was an accident. In a way maybe she deserved it for breaking me like she did."

"No, why'd you turn the gun on me at the hospital? Why'd you let Gino's men shoot me in the warehouse? Why'd you betray me?"

"Because if I didn't do it, Gino would've killed you. I tried to protect you as long as possible. I wanted you to die like a hero so if I had any say you were going to die saving people you loved. I knew you would shoot first and I knew you'd stop me. Your gut is better than you think. You should believe in it again."

"I still love you. That's the part I hate the most. You're a murderer and I still love you man. I hate every horrible thing you did but I still think of you as my best friend in a way."

"Maybe that's how it's supposed to end. You forgive me and move on."

"Times up Sidney."

Sid left the jail feeling somehow free. It felt like a weight was lift and that he could breath easier.

~\\\~

Helga Patacki was a hard shell to crac. If it was anyone that knew that it was Sid.

She sat in front of him with those same blue eyes, peering into his soul. He needed to face those blue eyes and the woman behind them too, if he ever wanted to be whole again.

"What's up Bucko? Why'd you call me to your place?"

"I wanted to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"About us. Well what almost was us. I wanted… Closure."

He took that term right from Dr. Bliss. She'd be proud.

"Oh. There's really nothing left to be closed now. I'm with Arnold."

"I know but don't you think there's still something between us worth exploring."

"You really are dense in the head aren't you! You told me to go after Arnold so I did after you rejected me."

"I asked you to go away with me. What did you think that meant? I still had feelings for you."

"Well too bad Sid. You blew your chance. I'm happy with Arnold now."

"Are you sure about that? Are you really happy? You seem awfully jealous of Marie."

"That's because she's using you Sid. If she was in real trouble don't you think she'd put on more clothes than that."

"Her sister is missing. I'm working on get case."

"Really? Does the HPD know that?"

"So what are you going to do? Snitch on me?"

"No, I just don't trust that girl, okay?"

"Funny. You preaching to me about _trust._ " Sid stormed out, determined to get things done.

~/~

Meanwhile, Marie was back at Sid's home on the phone with a very ambigous figure.

"Yea. Yea don't worry. I have him wrapped around my fingers. He doesn't suspect a thing."

 **Author's Note: Hey All,**

 **How would you feel about me discontinuing this and doing a Hey Arnold high school AU, set before the events of Sleeping With the Enemy? Let me know.**


	7. Rule Number 7: In the Lion's Den

Rule Number 7: In the Lion's Den, There are No Survivors

Sid really wanted to move on with his life at this point. Even though he hadn't gotten true closer with either Helga or Harold, he still somehow felt better than he had in awhile. He felt like things could be looking up for him. First thing was first, getting his job back. His savings were running low and his rent wasn't going to be free anytime soon. He figured if he caught this crazy serial killer his boss would have to let him back on the force in no time. He had to track down the real owner of the gun in that ballroom shootout, if the real police didn't get to that first.

Brainy lived in the boonies, as Sid called it. The street literally looked like the set of Desperate Housewives or something. Perfect white picket fences with perfect houses and hedges to match. He stopped when he got to the only house that wasn't white.

That had to be Brainy's house for sure.

He made sure to park a little ways down the street so no one would expect him. He walked down the quiet street and to Brainy's abode. He made two hard knocks and was met with no answer, yet he heard people moving about the house.

This was as good a time as any to use his skills, even if it was a lie. He knocked twice more then said "HPD" at the top of his lungs.

Oh, it felt good to say that again he thought.

The sound of someone fidgeting with the door knob was a familiar one. The perps always got nervous and took their time answering the door. Once it was open, he saw a face he hadn't seen in years.

"Sid?"

"Brainy?"

"Uh my names not Brainy. It's actually Brian. Come on in." He invited Sid into his surprisingly modern and well furnished home. "You scared me. Cops already came by earlier asking questions."

Shit. The real deal had already been there, that means Brainy would be a little less easier to question. Who knows what they asked him about? Hopefully not about the gun.

"Well I'm just here to follow up on a few things Brainy, uh sorry Brian."

"Like I said before I don't know anything about that missing kid?"

Wait… What?!

"Right well we want to make sure everything has been okay in the neighborhood since we last came."

"You were here yesterday. Nothing has changed that much. The kids still missing and people still think I did it."

"We can't control your neighbors but we can offer protection?" Sid was happy at being quite skilled at bull shitting. "Do you think you'd need that? Considering you're in your home alone with no protection."

"What are talking about? I told the officer yesterday that I live here with my wife."

Fucking Brainy, had gotten married score him! What were the fucking chances.

"Right right I'm sorry. I'm sure your wife would like added protection too."

"Well I have a fire arm. It's registered Officer."

"Of course. I just want to make sure you have the proper paper work. May I see the license?"

This was way too easy.

"Of course."

Way too easy indeed as Brainy quickly came back with his hand on the quiver and the gun pointed to my face.

This wasn't the first time a gun had been pointed at him or even the first time an old friend had a gun pointed towards. Lastly, it wasn't the first time Sid was unarmed and the other person had a firearm.

Remember your training, Sid thought. Remain calm. Don't engage the shooter. Try to talk them down.

"Whoa, what are you doing dude?"

"Quiet Sid! I already told you I had nothing to do with that kid. I'm not going to jail." Brainy seemed calm and collected in the beginning, yet he was starting to revert to his old self. Breathing hard and twitching uncontrollably seemed to remain his trademarks.

"I'm not here to arrest you." Partly because he didn't have the power to arrest him but if he did, hell yes Brainy would be under the jail for assaulting an officer. "I just wanted to check on you and to make sure you and your wife are safe."

"W-why" he breathed so hard he had to pause between words. "Wouldn't we be safe?" Sid now felt the barrel of gun against his temple. "You. Think. I'm. Crazy."

For the record he was absolutely crazy. Bat shit crazy. Monkey-Man crazy.

"No Brainy. I'm an officer of the law. I serve and protect. Not just you and the people of this neighborhood, but your wife. Don't you want your wife to feel safer?"

"She's the only one, that doesn't think I'm crazy. Everyone else thinks I kidnapped that little boy. That I'm a stalker and a serial killer."

"Brainy, I'm not the type of guy to judge you. I never judged you, even in high school. How could I when I got detention every other week?"

He definitely was creepy in high school. He definitely was judged by everyone, including me but maybe he was just misunderstood. Considering the gun was pointed to his head, Sid leaned away from misunderstood.

"No I'm tired of this. I'm tired of everyone thinking I'm weird or crazy."

"I'm sure your wife wouldn't appreciate the blood spatter all over her nice rugs." Okay, it wasn't the time to joke but it never hurt… Much. "You said she's the only one that never judged you. Well you won't be around her much if you shoot me Br-IAN."

That loosened him up a bit. His wife seemed to be a calming force to Brainy. He had loosen his grip enough for Sid to elbow Brainy in the shoulder, causing him to drop the gun. Sid was quick to pick it up and turn it around on Brainy. Now the gun was in Sid's hand.

"Brainy, I mean Brian, you are under arrest for assault of an Officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you can say or do can be used against you." Considering Sid had no handcuffs, tying Brainy up with rope was the best he could do. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you."

Once Brainy was properly detained he needed to call the real cops without blowing his cover. Sid tossed the gun in the other room and made a quick call the Sergeant. Within 15 minutes the Sergeant and another squad car was there.

"HPD! Get on the ground!" The Sergeant knocked down the door swiftly and held his gun in the air. Brainy squirmed on the floor while Sid stood still. "Um, Sidney. You're a civilian now. Get on the ground. Or I will shoot."

"Oh sorry." Sid found it funny. He wasn't used to being a normal person. He got on the ground giggling.

Two officers rushed in. It was Diaz and Murphy. Sid remember having many Poker nights and drinks with them after hours.

"Diaz. Check the perimeter. Murphy, secure the suspect and the weapon when you get back."

Both officers nodded and unison and went off to their jobs.

"Get your ass off the ground Sidney. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Visiting an old friend." He got of the ground quick and fixed his clothes.

"Seriously, if we have to arrest one more of your old classmates we might as well rename the jailhouse P.S. 118. Stay out of trouble Sidney."

"Yes sir. Are you taking him in or not?"

"Formalities. I might not be able to keep him but he'll be arrested for sure."

"He assaulted an officer! What kind of new formalities are there?! You arrest him, book him, and lock him up."

"You aren't an officer anymore, you're a witness. I need to interview you. This is standard procedure. You do not have to-"

"I know the procedure. I've said it a million times. Skip the formalities of asking if your can 'ask me a few questions'. Brainy tried to shoot me after going all psycho. I talked him down and was able to detain him after wrestling the gun away. That's it."

"Are you sure that's it? You didn't set him off?"

"Yes positive. Unless you know something about Brainy that I don't know."

"That's classified information even if I did. Sorry kid." The Sergeant turned as Diaz returned to the scene. He whispered, "I want you back Sidney. Best man on my force. You stay out of trouble and get a clean bill of health then your spot will always be open."

The Sergeant cleared his throat and demanded loudly, "Diaz, escort the victim off the premises."

"I don't need an escort. Thanks" Sid stomped off more frustrated than ever. He felt out of the loop, yet relieved that the Serg wanted him back. It felt odd for him to sit back and do nothing, not being able to aid his past teammates with the investigation and not being able access all the information he needed. If he had known about Brainy being a suspect in a kidnapping case, he could've treaded more lightly and prevent the whole thing.

He did get something out of though. The gun that he sent Lorenzo wasn't Brainy's obviously. There were two other registered users in town:

Patsy Jones and none other than Arnold Shortman.

Sid sighed. Go ahead and eat my heart out, why don't you he thought.

Marie's sister was still out there somewhere and the key was tracking down the gun owner, by any means necessary.

~/~

He got home to a Marie who was dancing around completely naked. The visual appealed to Sid but he knew he couldn't touch her; no matter how good she looked.

"Hey Officer." She just loved putting emphasis on that word and making his spine tingle.

"Marie, put some clothes on."

"Fine, I will." She grabbed one of his button down shirts and threw it on. Never in his life did he see anyone wear his own clothes better than him, until then. "Have you been able to track down my sister?"

"Nope. Looking at leads. I just have a couple more then I'll be closer to finding her."

"Great. I really miss her." She twirled into his arms. "Sid, we should go out tonight and have some fun. Go dancing."

"Haven't you done enough?"

"Well we could use some air and a night out. Coooome on."

"I'm not 21 anymore. I can't spend my night partying. Plus, I can't be around alcohol."

"Fiiiiiine but I didn't say anything about being out all night. I know this karaoke bar that's great."

"How do you know a karaoke bar if you've never been to Hillwood and have only been here a few days? That's a niche place to go looking for."

"Well I'm a niche type of girl. It'll be fuuuuun"

How could he say no to that face.

"Fine but I get to invite my friend. I obviously need more than one person keeping an eye on you." He owed Stinky a big fat apology anyway and he deserved to know how to whole closure thing went with Harold.

~/~

Sid forgot how far Stinky lived. By the time the trio got to the karaoke bar, it was almost 10PM. They walked in and gritted their teeth at the sounds of a train wreck karaoke performance of "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. It was literally cringe worthy.

They found a booth and sat down to enjoy the girl making a fool of herself.

Marie asked, "So you're Sid's friend?"

Stinky replied, "I sure am, little lady."

She asked another question. "How long have you been friends?"

"A while Marie. Why don't you stop bothering Stinky."

"I'm just… Curious of your relationship with him, that's all."

"There is NO relationship."

"I reckon you shouldn't be-"

The

Sid was cut off by Marie's squealing, "Oh My God! It's my favorite song. I have to sing it.

Marie got up quickly and then the music stopped, the spotlight went on her. She froze. Sid watched and Stinky looked confused.

All eyes were on Marie.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the Black Widow." Someone from the crowd said. Suddenly, it became a gun fight and Sid literally had just a knife.

What was up with this girl and everyone wanting to kill her?

Author's Note: Another chapter done. What do you think? Also, check out my new Hey Arnold story called Growing Pains


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